Until You're Resting Here:  A BIC Collection
by J. Maria
Summary: Submissions from the first 4 years of Birthday insanity fics centering around Roswell.
1. Second Banana Czechoslovakian: 23 for 23

Series: 23 for 23  
>Title: Eighteen: Second Banana Czechoslovakian<br>Author: Jmaria  
>Rating: FR-15<br>Disclaimer: I own the World Walker, Katims owns Roswell.  
>Spoilers: <em>Serenity<em> and Series One (to be safe)  
>Series Summary: Twenty-three stories and crossings of worlds (read: insanity) to celebrate twenty-three years.<br>Part Summary: Settling down and finding that natural pace.  
>Words: 220<br>A/N: First quote comes from the fourth into, second comes from _Long Trip Alone _by Dierks Bentley. Also - back when I was 23, at the time in Michigan you did not need a passport or enhanced license to cross the border into Canada. Which is how a _lot_ of 19yrs got plastered legally. (They still do, but you need to fork out the cash for the special license.)

Dedication: To fluties-flake for the fandoms and prompt.

_**23 for 23**  
>Eighteen: Second Banana Czechoslovakian<em>

_The World shifted slightly to the left and it had nothing to do with the copious amount of liquor involved at all._

_Everybody stumbles sometimes and needs a hand to hold, cause it's a long trip alone._

"It's cold," Maria shivered, her eyes squinting against the glare of sunlight on the water. "Why is it so cold?"

"Lake effect," Michael shrugged, squatting down beside her. "Max thinks we could stay here for a while."

"Where it snows?" Maria narrowed her eyes at him.

"Only a couple months out of the year," he smirked.

"It's _Michigan_. What happens in _Michigan_? Besides cars being made and freaky-unnatural weather in the summer?"

"It's not that cold," Michael had the audacity to _laugh_ at her. "Nothin' compared to NYC."

"You may have a point," Maria nodded. "Where do we go from here, Michael?"

"Upwards and onwards," he shrugged.

"Don't even _joke_ about that," Maria shuddered. "All that vast nothing up there, gah! Can you imagine what it would be like."

"I wasn't being literal, Deluca."

"You know, sometimes it's hard to tell with you," she narrowed her eyes. "If you didn't mean it _like that_, what did you mean?"

"The Great North."

"_Canada_?"

"You don't need a passport to leave the country. Yet."

"And when we get there, what, you're gonna become a lumberjack?" Maria frowned. "It's even colder _there_."

Michael grinned at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She fake-punched him in the stomach, but relished the comfort in his touch.

"Don't worry, Deluca. I'll keep you warm."


	2. Confucius Say: 23 for 23

Series: 23 for 23  
>Title: Nineteen: Confucius Say<br>Author: Jmaria  
>Rating: FR-15<br>Disclaimer: I own the World Walker, Katims owns Roswell. (Joss owns BtVS)  
>Spoilers: Season Two, but elements of an AU!Three<br>Series Summary: Twenty-three stories and crossings of worlds (read: insanity) to celebrate twenty-three years.  
>Part Summary: Some bridges really are that easy to mend.<br>Words: 436  
>AN: First quote comes from the fourth into, second comes from _Girlfriend_ by Avril Lavigne. Also, not quite what was requested. But seeing as I got all inspired for wrapping up the _Spilt_ universe, this popped into my head.  
>Set: AU series, post <em>Spilt<em> story like. More friendship than romance.

Dedication: To fluties-flake for the fandoms and prompt.

_**23 for 23**  
>Nineteen: Confucius Say<em>

_The World shifted slightly to the left and it had nothing to do with the copious amount of liquor involved at all._

_I think you know I'm damn precious. And hell, yeah, I'm the motherfucking princess._

"Hey," Kyle said quietly, coming to stand beside Tess.

"Hey. I didn't think I'd ever see you again," she said quietly, her eyes never leaving the exercises being performed in the middle of the hotel lobby.

"Your friend called me," Kyle sighed.

"I never meant it to happen like this, you know. Not Alex, not Gage, not Xander. I'm sorry he dragged you back into my life," Tess took a deep breath and dragged away her eyes from her son. "I'm sorry, and I know that will never cut it."

"Yeah, I figured you would say that," Kyle's brows deepened in a frown. "You kind of came full circle, didn't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"From an Alex to a Xander. Maybe you were set on his path for a reason?"

"Is this some sort of Zen philosophy?" Tess frowned.

"I guess. You heard what went down back home?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry that you all lost your families," Tess looked away from him. It wasn't her fault that the government had finally caught up to them. It had been happening in small doses for years, the trap clicking closer and closer with every passing year.

"Well, I figure if anyone could possibly understand what that feels like, it would be you," Kyle took a deep breath.

"Huh?"

"Nicholas and his puppet-master Khivar didn't really give you a lot of options. And you were trying to protect your son," Kyle gave her a sad smile. "Besides, I missed my sister."

"Sister?" Tess frowned.

"I've lost my dad because of all of this. He's pretty much unreachable these days. For his safety and ours. And the others are great but -"

"They're not family."

"Exactly."

"You're not afraid of what I could do to you?"

"You lost your powers the same day you lost your son. And yet you came back to face up to what had happened _powerless_," Kyle said quietly. "I shouldn't have let what desperation led you to do cloud my judgment of _who_ I knew you were."

"I -" Tess looked away from him, tears forming in her eyes. "Thanks."

"So, are there any _single_ girls here in the complex?" Kyle asked after a few minutes of quiet contemplation.

Tess burst into a peal of laughter at Kyle's question. Gage, Connor, Xander and Dawn all glanced over at the two of them, concern on each of their faces. The four of them had become extremely protective of her, much like Kyle himself had back in the early days in Roswell.

"I'm sure you could find a few," Tess grinned up at her 'brother'.


End file.
